Good fast growing hedge

[tinkitonki]

So in trying to get to grips with my garden and tackle the Ivy I inherited from the previous owners it would seem it’s been propping up the fence between us and next door.
I’m thinking as eradicating the Ivy will be impossible (next door quite like it on their side) replacing the fence will be pointless.
I have a vision of a hedge instead which I’m planning on planting as close to said fence as possible, leaving what remains of the fence in place while the hedge grows and maintaining the Ivy as best I can.

Is this a crazy plan? The garden is South facing and the area in question gets a good few hours of sun every day, I’m happy to buy smallish and wait a couple of years, it’s roughly 25m long so a fair amount of plants and cost is a consideration. Does anyone have any suggestions for reasonably priced, hardy hedging plants for me? I’m not keen on Yew

Yew takes ages to grow anyway - for decent-sized plants to start with it would cost a fortune.

How wide is the bed you would be planting in? Do you want deciduous or evergreen, and would you like flowers/fruits as well?

Could you cope with the seriously prickly or not?

Yew definitely off the list then!

I’d like evergreen I think, the neighbours are on board and claim they will eventually look to remove the fence on their side once ‘my hedge’ is established so it would become a boundary eventually.
The bed is currently about 1m wide, but the grass is in such poor shape even before the drought it can be extended easily enough as I’m planning on a mini digger weekend to dig over properly and establish a proper boarder and lawn.
In my minds eye, I see hedge, with flower boarder in front and then lawn.

Beech and copper beech. Buy online 'whips' as big as you can afford. They are inexpensive but you have to buy at the right time of year. They are pretty, hardy, easy to maintain and good for wildlife. They aren't evergreen but they hold on to their old leaves until the new ones come along so they aren't bare in winter.

Laurel is cheap and fast growing. They are evergreen and come in varieties. In the winter you have the bonus of berries.

Something a bit more unusual
www.best4hedging.co.uk/osmanthus-burkwoodii-hedging-pp76

Or Rose hedging

Just a thought. If you plant the hedge on your side and your neighbour removes the fence, where will the boundary be? At the point of the hedge trunk or their outer growing edge? Who does the fence belong to?

Sounds petty but what if you get new neighbours. I’d take pictures of the current fence and it’s relation to the houses. And more pictures as you plant the hedge.

Also, when you plant the hedge incorporate some sturdy wire fencing between or at the back of the young plants. You normally plant a hedge in a double row to ensure a thick boundary. The wire between the plants will stop dogs etc... making a tunnel between the gardens.

We've got a Red Robin hedge which has grown enormously and is pretty in the winter with its red tipped leaves.

We've also got a hornbeam hedge which is lovely but does lose it leaves in the winter so not evergreen.

Thanks Idadown that’s a good point. It is ‘my’ fence. I’ll add some wire fencing into the list. I have that running along the other side already as my other neighbour has a hedge his side of the boundary so it makes sense now I think about it.
Love your suggestions too though I wonder if it will be dense enough....

How about Ilex Crenata - looks like box but grows faster and doesn't get box blight. Easy to prune and evergreen with small leaves.

I'm not much of a laurel fan myself.